This book investigates what a case study of a northern market town and
its rural hinterland can tell us about village differentiation,
exploring how and why rural communities developed in what was chiefly an
industrial region and, notably, how the relationship between town and
country influenced rural communities. It looks at six villages close to
Doncaster - Sprotbrough, Warmsworth, Rossington, Fishlake, Stainforth
and Braithwell - chosen to represent the diversity of landownership and
land type of the Doncaster district. Rural communities, and more
specifically the development of English villages, have proved fertile
ground for historians. This book makes an original contribution to these
debates. In particular, it engages with existing models of village
typology, suggesting that not only are they too restrictive to account
for nuanced differences, but also that they fail to acknowledge the
importance of the relationships between rural communities and between
town and country. Following Sarah Holland's detailed research into
different aspects of rural communities, the book offers new perspectives
on how rural communities in close proximity developed, often
differently, during the mid nineteenth century. Themes looked at in
detail include living and working conditions, agriculture and industry,
religion and education, and through these Holland considers existing
theories of village typology, before setting out her ideas regarding
social hierarchies, spheres of influence and agency, which combine to
create complex patterns of differentiation. Communities in Contrast will
appeal to all those interested in rural life and economy in the
nineteenth century, the relationship between town and country, as well
as the history of Yorkshire.
